Thread-chain holding and cutting device for sewing machines



S. KOSTENOWCZY March 20, 1962 K AND CUTTING MACHINES 1960 THREAD-CHADEVICE Fll IN HOLDING FOR SEWING ed Feb. 2,

INVENTOR. Stanley Kosfenowczyk BY WITNESS mqnm 'TORNEY United StatesPatent 3,025,811 THREAD-CHAIN HOLDING AND CU'I'IING DEVICE FOR SEWINGMACHINES Stanley Kostenowczyk, Bayonne, N.J., assignor to The SingerManufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N.J., a corporation of New JerseyFiled Feb. 2, 1960, Ser. No. 6,232 4 Claims. (Cl. 112-252) Thisinvention relates to sewing machines and more particularly to a deviceintended for use with a sevwng machine and designed to hold and cut athread-chain after the said thread-chain has been formed by the stitchforming instrumentalities of the sewing machine and the primary objectof the present invention is to provide an improved device of thischaracter.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved thread-chaingripping and holding device.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved threadgripping device having provisions for guiding the thread-chain into thegripping device.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improvedthread-chain gripping device having gripping slots bounded by at leastone resilient tooth.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear,the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements ofparts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawingsof a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the severalfeatures of the invention and the advantages att ained thereby will bereadily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the drawings:

FIG, 1 is an end elevational view, partly in section, of a sewingmachine equipped with a thread-chain cutting and holding deviceembodying the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view taken substantially on the line 2-2 ofFIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3of FIG. 2 and showing the thread-chain being cut,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4of FIG. 2 and showing the thread-chain being held, and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged exploded perspective view showing the holding andcutting device of the present invention.

The thread-chain holding and cutting device illustrated in FIGS. 1-5,inclusive, is shown associated with a sewing machine 15 having a base16, the top of which forms a work supporting surface 17 into which isrecessed a throat plate 18 held by screws 19. A standard 2.1 rises fromthe base 16 and supports a bracket arm having a head 22 which carries apresser bar 23 and a needle bar 24. The end 26 of the base 16 isprovided with a pair of threaded holes, only one, namely hole 27, beingshown. The holes 27 accommodate a pair of screw 28-28 which secure thethread-chain holding and cutting device 29 to the face of the end 26.The thread-chain holding and cutting device 29 embodying the presentinvention comprises two major parts, namely a block 32 formed from aplastic such as nylon or other suitable material, and a preferablymetallic knife blade 33 The block 32 is substantially in the form of arectangular parallelepiped having a pair of cylindrical holes 34-34 foraccommodating the screws 28-28. The upper end of the block 32 is beveledon all four edges as indicated by the numeral 36 and the upper end ofthe 3,025,811 Patented Mar. 20, 1962 block 32 has a plurality, in thisinstance nine thread-chain gripping slots designated as slots 37-38.Each of the slots 37 is bounded on its two sides by a narrow tooth 39whereas each of the slots 38 is bounded on one of its sides by a narrowtooth 39 and on its other side by a thick tooth 41. Because of this,each slot, whether it be slot 37 or 38, has at least one of its sidesbounded by a narrow tooth 39 which, because of its thinness, isresilient. In addition to the bevel 36 which extends around the completeupper edge of the block 32, each thick tooth 41 has an inner bevel 42and each narrow tooth 39 has two inner bevels 42-42. Reference to FIG. 4shows that the inner bevels 4242 formed on adjacent teeth 39-39 or 39-41provide a converging means for guiding a thread-chain into a slot 37 or38.

The knife blade 33 is in the form of a flat plate having its top beveledto provide a cutting edge 43, and the main body of the blade 33 isprovided with a pair of cylindrical holes 44-44 for accommodating thescrews 28-28. As best seen in FIG. 3, the blade 33 is mounted in such amanner that the cut-ting edge 43 is positioned adjacent to the frontface of the block 32 and sufficiently below the bevels 36 and 42 toinsure that the thread-chain can be gripped in a slot 37 or 38 beforethe cutting edge 43 severs the thread-chain 46. Also the cutting edge 43is located above the bottom of any of the slots 37 or 38.

In operation the subject device functions in the following manner. Aftera thread-chain of sufficient length, for example, the thread-chain 46(FIGS, 3 and 4), has been produced by the sewing instrumentalities, thestanding part 47 of the thread-chain 46 is placed between an adjacentpair of the inner bevels 42-42 and is thereby guided into one of theslots 37 or 38 where, due to the resilience of one or more of the narrowteeth 39 the thread chain 46 will be securely gripped. As thethreadchain 46 is pulled downwardly, it engages the cutting edge 43which severs the thread-chain, as shown in FIG. 3 to separate the end 48from the standing part 47. The standing part 47, of course, remains heldafter the end 48 is separated therefrom. Because the knife blade 33 issecured to the lower portion of the block 32, the blade 33 doesinterfere with operation of the resilient teeth 39.

Having thus set forth the nature of this invention, what I claim hereinis:

1. A thread-chain holding and cutting device comprising a plastic blockhaving a pair of teeth defining a slot therebetween, at least one ofsaid teeth being sufficiently resilient to yield when a thread-chain isforced into said slot, and a knife blade positioned against one sideface of said plastic block.

2. A thread-chain holding and cutting device comprising a plastic blockhaving a plurality of teeth defining slots therebetween, at least one ofthe teeth bounding each slot being sufficiently resilient to yield whena threadchain is forced into said slot, and a knife blade positionedagainst one side face of said block.

3. A thread-chain holding and cutting device comprising a nylon blockhaving a pair of teeth defining a slot therebetween, both of said teethhaving an inner bevel, said inner bevels functioning to guide athreadchain into said slot, and at least one of said teeth beingsufficiently resilient to yield when a thread-chain is forced into saidslot, and a knife blade positioned against one side face of said nylonblock.

4. A thread-chain holding and cutting device comprising a nylon blockhaving a pair of teeth defining a slot therebetween, both of said teethhaving an inner 3 4 bevel, said inner bevels functioning to guide athread References Cited in the file of this patent chain into said slot,and at least one of said teeth being UNITED STATES PATENTS sufliclentlyresilient to weld when a thread-chem is forced D k into said slot, and aknife blade positioned against one 307,271 Ta 6 1884 side face of saidnylon block, said knife blade, having a 5 840,887 Wood 81 1907 cuttingedge located sufficiently below the bevels to ing fif g r -g :13: 3 surethat the thread-chain W111 be gripped 1n the slot be- 2:867:184 pp mun-1 1959 fore the cutting edge severs the said thread-chain.

1. A THREAD-CHAIN HOLDING AND CUTTING DEVICE COMPRISING A PLASTIC BLOCKHAVING A PAIR OF TEETH DEFINING A SLOT THEREBETWEEN, AT LEAST ONE OFSAID TEETH BEING SUFFICIENTLY RESILIENT TO YIELD WHEN A THREAD-CHAIN ISFORCED INTO SAID SLOT, AND A KNIFE BLADE POSITIONED AGAINST ONE SIDEFACE OF SAID PLASTIC BLOCK.